crowfoot



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

I. CROWFOOT.

IGE CUTTING MACHINE.

Patented Mar. 17, 1885.

INVENTOR.

WITNESSES ATTORNEYS.

N. PETERS, Phololjlhogmphon Wflihinglml. DJ;

(No Model.) I Q Sheets -Sheet 2. I. OROWFOOT.

10B CUTTING MACHINE.

Patented Mar. 17, 1885.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR:

j \M/(M/vv ATTORNEY-S.

N Pirsasinmumo m m, wmul m n. c.

ihsire STATES arnnr @rrica;

ISSACHAR GROVVFOOT, OF HARTFORD, \VISOONSIN.

ICE-CUTTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 313,995, dated Niarch 17,1885.

v Application filed June 17, 1884. (l\'o model) To all whom it may concern:

,Be it known that I, ISSAOHAR Oaowroor. of Hartford, in the county of Washington and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and Improved Ice-Cutting Machine, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention consists of improvements in mechanism for working circular saws for cutting ice into blocks for being gathered out of the water for storage; also mechanism for moving the machine about on the ice, and also mechanism for cleaning the ice of snow in ad vance of the saws, the whole being operated by steam-power mounted on the machine, as hereinafter fully described.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both the figures.

\ Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved ice-cutting machine. Fig. 2 is a plan view with some of the devices represented in Fig. 1 omitted.

On a. pair of strong runners, a, of any approved construction, suitably curved at the ends, and also curved transversely on the lower edge suitably for being moved sidewise, and shod with metal, as required, I construct an upper frame of longitudinal beams b, and cross-beams c on posts d, for supporting the upper rigging, and mount a gang of circular saws, e, at one end of the runner-frame, for cutting theice, and asnoW-scraper, f, for cleaning away the snow at the other end of said frame, together with mechanism on said frame for working the saws and the scraper, and

also for moving the machine along the ice, as follows;

The mandrel g of the saws is mounted in the ends of arms h, which are pivoted on the shaft 1', so asto overhang the ends of the runnerframe and carry the saws behind it, and to swing up and down for enabling the saws to be gaged for cutting the requisite'depth in the ice, and to be raised and supported above the ice when required. The mandrel g is geared by a belt, j, with a pulley, k, on the shaft 2',

and said shaft is geared with the driving-pulley lof a steam-engine, m, by a belt, at, and pulley 0.

The saw-mandrelis suspended by cords or chains 19, passing over guide pulleys g on the beams 12 to the spools or drums s on the shaft t, on which they are wound or unwound by with ropes a and b, for lifting up the scraper to dump the snow from it into the water through a hole in the ice,when that method of disposing of the snow may be preferred. The front end of the scraper has small shoes 0, which run on the ice, and support the scraper a suitable distance above the ice, and said end of the scraper is connected at the middle by "rope I) to the small spool d on the shaft :0.

The hind end of the scraper rests on the lugs or brackets e, and is connected to the spools f on the shaft 9 by the cords a, passing over the pulleys y.

The shaft 9, located on the beams I1, is geared with the shaft h on the runners by the belt 11 and suitable pulleys. j and 7a, to be worked,

when required, for lifting and dumping the scraper by setting it in motion, with a belttightener, Z, to wind up the ropes a on the spoolsf and the rope I) on the spool d.

It will be seen that the spool (1, being turned by the ropes a working over pulleys y, will wind up rope bf much slower than ropes a will be wound up on spools f, so that the hind end of the scraper will be lifted higher than the front end, to be tilted up suitably for .dumping the snow out of the scraper for dischargingiit into the water through a hole in the ice, to which the machine is to be run for .the purpose.

For propelling the machine along the ice, I use point-wheels m, mounted in levers 1t, pivoted on the d living-shafts, and geared with pinions 0 on said shafts, so that said point-wheels may be shifted by said levers and caused to take effect on the ice or not, as required. When so set by said levers as to take effect on the ice, the said point-wheels, being turned by the pinions on the driving-shafts, will force the machine along the ice, according to the direction in which they are turned, by the hold of the points which are thrust into the ice by the levers. In this case the shaft i is provided with one set of the point-wheels m, with levers and drivingpiuions to be used for driving the machine ahead, when the rate of speed which they will give will be suitable for the feed which the saws will bearsay when the ice is thin and the saws are not required to out very deep; but for a slower speed for cutting thick ice I have provided another shaft, p, having another set of point-wheels, and being geared with shaft 2' by cone-pulleys q and a belt for several changes of the speed of the machine, according as the thickness of the ice may demand, and for a still slower speedas for driving the machine with great force against the resistance of the snow on the scraper when very great-I have provided other point-wheels m on the auxiliary shaft h, which gears with the shaft 1) by the reducingwheel s and pinion t, for slow motion and powerful action; and for forcing these wheels hard down on the ice with great force I have geared their levers n by a rack, u, and pinion o with the shaft 20, having a hand-wheel, :20, said shaft being suspended from the beams b, where it can be conveniently manipulated for the purpose by a person riding on the machine. The rack u is to be kept in gear with the pinion v by a suitable guard-roller, y, but this apparatus for working these levers may be dispensed with, as represented in Fig. 2, and said levers may be worked directly by hand, as all the levers of said point-wheels may be.

\Vhen it may be desired to employ the point-wheels of both shafts z andp for driving the machine at arapid rate, in case the saws are cutting lightly or not at all, the belt gear ing shaft 12' with shaft 6 may be set for an even speed of both shafts by the cone-pulley, and in such case the levers a of both these shafts may be connected by a bar, a and chain a with a shaft, I), having ahand-wheel, 2' for working them together but for the purpose of guiding the machine for changing its course the point wheel or wheels ofthe different sides of the machine may be set down to take effect on the ice independently of the wheel or wheels of the other side.

For shifting the machine laterally for starting anew at the ends of its range, I have provided another drivingshaft, 0, arranged longitudinallyin the machine,and geared by beveled wheels d with the shaft h, and having point-wheels m, driving-pinion o, and connecting-levern, to be set in motion, like the others, when the machine is to be so shifted.

The boiler e for furnishing the steampower may be of any approved kind or form, andmay be located in any suitable position on the machine.

An essential advantage of cutting thcice by means of circular saws consists of the pacity for cutting to the required depth with but one operation, and another advantageous feature is that when cutting the first range not entirely through the ice, to have sufficient support for cutting the cross-range to complete the blocks,thc kerf will fill with the saw" dust, which dams the water back, and thus protects the kerf from freezing solid again when left over night, as they sometimes have to be.

For a guide by which to run the machine parallel to the cuts previously made, I have arranged a rod, f, at each side of the machine on Outriggers g,said rods being bent downward to run in the last kerf previously made. These rods are to be fitted so as to swing the bend upward to clear the ice on the side where there is no kerf.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- I 1. The combination, substantially as herein described, of a gang of circular saws, e, drivln g mechanism therefor comprising shafts,pulleys, and belts, point-wheels m, and the scraper f, said point-wheels being geared with the sawdriving mechanism, and all being mounted on runners a, adapted for being propelled along the surface of the ice, and the saws and scraper being mounted at opposite ends of the ma chine, as specified.

2. The combination,with an ice-cutting machine, of mechanism for propelling it, consisting of point-wheels m, suspended from a driving-shaft by levers a, and gearing with pinions 0 on said drivingshaft, and said shaft being geared with the driving mechanism, substantially as described.

3. The combination. with the saw-driving shaft i in an ice cutting machine, of pointwheels m, mounted thereon by levers a, and geared with it by pinions 0, substantially as described.

4:. The combination, with the saw-driving shaft 1 in an ice-cutting machine, of the shaft 19, having point-wheels m mounted on it by levers n, and gearing with it by pinions 0', said shafts p and 2' being geared together differentially, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with an ice-machine consisting, essentially, of the runner-frame a, having a gang of circular saws, e, at one end, and a snow-scraper, f, at the other end, and mechanism comprising belts, pulleys, and shafts for working the saws, of the auxiliary shaft h, having point-wheels m mounted on it by levers a, and geared with it by pinions 0, said shaft h being geared with the driving shaft 12 by red ucing-wheels s and t, for driving the snow-scraper, as specified.

6. The combination, with the scraper f, of the front rope, b, attached to spool d of shaft or, ropes a, attached to the rear of said scraper, and extending over pulleys 3 of said shaft as IlO to spools f on the shaft said shaft 9 being geared by a loose belt, i, andtightener with the shalt h, substantially as described.

7. The combination, with an ice-machine consisting, essentially, of the runner-frame a, having a gang of circular saws, e, and the means for drivingthem, comprising belts, pulleys, and shafts, of the shaft 0", arranged longitudinally on the machine, and having pointwheels m mounted on it by levers n, and geared with it by pinions o, for shifting the machine laterally, said shaft 0 being suitably geared with the driving mechanism of the machine, substantially as specified.

8. The combination of a toothed rack, on,

pinion o, and hand-wheel x, with levers 01/. having a point-Wheel m, and mounted on a driving-shaft, said point-wheel being geared with'a pinion on said driving-shaft, substantially 38113801113361. I

9. .l 113 combination of the chain a, shaft 6*,- and its hand-wheel i, with levers n,1n0unted on separate driving-shafts z and p, and having point-wheels m, gearing with said driving-shafts by plnions o, substantially as de- 25 scribed.

ISSAGHAR GROWFOOT. Witnesses:

J. R. RICE,

A. B. CASSIDAY. 

